Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Hydrangea arborescens cultivar Dardom.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea plant, botanically known as Hydrangea arborescens, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Dardom.
The new Hydrangea originated from a chance cross-pollination in 1997 of two unidentified selections of Hydrangea arborescens, not patented. The cultivar Dardom was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Essen, Belgium.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by softwood cuttings taken at Leersum, The Netherlands, since spring, 1999, has shown that the unique features of this new Hydrangea are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Dardom have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Dardomxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Dardomxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Large and vigorous growth habit.
2. Upright and rounded plant habit, strong stems.
3. Large durable leaves.
4. Large dome-shaped inflorescences.
5. Inflorescences with large sterile flowers and numerous small fertile flowers.
Plants of the new Hydrangea differ from plants of parent selections and other selections of Hydrangea arborescens known to the inventor in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Hydrangea are taller and more vigorous than other known selections of Hydrangea arborescens known to the inventor.
2. Plants of the new Hydrangea are more freely branching than other selections of Hydrangea arborescens known to the inventor.
3. Plants of the new Hydrangea have larger, healthier and more durable foliage than other selections of Hydrangea arborescens known to the inventor.
4. Plants of the new Hydrangea have larger inflorescences with more flowers per inflorescence than other selections of Hydrangea arborescens known to the inventor.
Plants of the new Hydrangea can be compared to plants of the Hydrangea arborescens cultivar Annabelle, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Grand Haven, Mich., plants of the new Hydrangea differed from plants of the cultivar Annabelle in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Hydrangea were taller and more vigorous than plants of the cultivar Annabelle.
2. Plants of the new Hydrangea were more freely branching than plants of the cultivar Annabelle.
3. Plants of the new Hydrangea had stronger stems than plants of the cultivar Annabelle.
4. Plants of the new Hydrangea had broader, healthier and more durable foliage than plants of the cultivar Annabelle.
5. Plants of the new Hydrangea had dome-shaped inflorescences whereas plants of the cultivar Annabelle had globose-shaped inflorescences.
6. Plants of the new Hydrangea were more freely flowering than plants of the cultivar Annabelle.
7. Flowers of plants of the new Hydrangea were mostly fertile whereas flowers of plants of the cultivar Annabelle were mostly sterile.